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Rolling Meadows, Ill. – It wasn’t the start the Rockford IceHogs had in mind as they dropped a 6-1 contest to the Chicago Wolves to open the preseason on Wednesday night at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows.

Chicago jumped all over the IceHogs to open the game, scoring three goals in a matter of 1:12.

Brett Sterling got Chicago rolling as he tallied the first goal of the game on the man advantage. Patrick Mullen fired a pass up ice for Sterling as he raced in on Alec Richards and slipped the puck past the IceHogs’ netminder at 6:33 in the first period.

Just 28 seconds later Steven Anthony put Chicago up 2-0 as he chipped in a loose puck in front of Richards.

Then, Darren Archibald got in on the scoring as he cleaned up a rebound, backhanding it into the open net.

The Wolves tacked on another power play goal at 11:56 in the opening frame while on a five-on-three advantage. Mullen picked up a pass from Derek Joslin in the slot and blasted it over the shoulder of Richards to push the score to 4-0.

In the second period, Chicago extended their lead to 5-0. Richards caught a piece of Mullen’s initial shot as it ricocheted off the post but Andrew Gordon found the loose puck in the crease and pushed it in at 7:18.

Both teams would substitute goaltenders following the goal. Kent Simpson came in to relieve Richards as he turned away 16 of the 21 shots he faced. Eddie Lack was perfect for Chicago on all nine shots he saw but was replaced by Matt Climie.

The IceHogs got on the board to open the final frame as Kyle Beach netted Rockford’s lone tally. Climie got caught out of the net and Beach took advantage as he fired the puck into the open net at 1:31.

Yann Sauve put the game away for the Wolves as he blasted a shot through traffic and past Simpson at 7:53 in the third to give Chicago a 6-1 win.

The IceHogs host the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday for their second of three preseason games. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Admission to the game is free, compliments of the Rockford Register Star. Entry coupons to the game can be found in the Register Star and at their website, rrstar.com.
Next Home Game: Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Charlotte Checkers. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The IceHogs open the home portion of their regular season slate against the Checkers at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The first 5,000 fans to the game will pick up an IceHogs “It All Starts Here” calendar.